Happy Thanksgiving!

U.S. troops eat generous Thanksgiving meals at a base in Baghdad, Iraq.

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, and a stranger into a friend." Melody Beattie

I want to wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving. Holidays, particularly Christmas and Thanksgiving, bring back memories of family gathered around the table. We've sat at tables where two or three tables were placed end to end, and covered with different tablecloths and different sets of dishes.

We've sat at tables with our grandparents when we were small, and then at those same tables with our own children when they were young. Tomorrow, we will have our son and daugter-in-law and our two grandchildren with us for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. We'll be thinking of our daughter in Seattle, wishing she was with us, but knowing she'll be joining us next month for Christmas. Holidays are the touchstones that connect the generations.

This year, once again, there will be men and women in our Armed Forces having Thanksgiving in mess halls and mess tents in far-flung places around the world. Let us all hope that there will be a Thanksgiving soon when these brave men and women will be home with their families and loved ones saying, "Pass the turkey, please."